Display stand for merchandise



March 18 1924. v 1,487,540

T..H. COKER DISPLAY STAND FOR MERCHANDISE Filed June 16. 1922 reamed Mai-.18, 1924.

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THOMAS HOLLOWAY com, 0! HABTSVILLE, SGU'IE CAROLINA.

DISPLAY STAND FOR. MERCHANDISE. 1

Application filed June 16, 1922. Serial R o. 588,748.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. Comm, a citizen of the United States, residing at l-lartsville, county of Darlington, State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Stands for Merchandise, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rotary display stand for exhibiting merchandise to cus tomers and is particularly adapted for use in displaying pictorial and printed articles such as magazines and picture post cards and other articles of such size as-to be adapted for such display. It is designed to display the articles in a way which will attract the attention of customers and which will successively present to full view with substantially no obstruction a series of such articles held in the best position for inspection by the customer. A device embodying my invention not only displays the articles in the best and most effective way, but'it includes novel structural features and arrangements of parts which reduce the number of parts heretofore used in any device of this type and which give to it greater strength and lasting qualities and at the same time make the device neat and attractive in appearance. The novel features will be more clearly understood from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the containers in which the articles are placed for display.

As shown in the drawing, the device includes a frame having a bottom portion 10 supported from the floor and connecting the upright supporting members 11 and 12 near the ends of the bottom member 10. Suitable braces 13, 14 and 15 may be used connecting these upright members to the base member. A shaft 16 is mounted in bearings at the upper ends of the supports 11 and 12 and is adapted to'rotate therein in the particular form of the invention shown for purposes of illustration. A rotary carrier is mounted on the shaft 16 midway between the supports Hand 12 and it preferably consists of a wheel having spokes 17 and a continuous circular rim portion 18. Where the shaft 16 rotates this carrier wheel is so connected to it as to rotate with the shaft. A series of parallel rods19 are secured to the rim portion 18 and are spaced from each other circumferentially of the rim equal distances around the rim and they project from the rim on each side a distance slightly less than the distance from the rim to the supports. 11 and 12 so that they may pass those supports during rotation of the rim. The two portions of the rods on opposite sides may in each case if desired be in one integral piece passing through the rim ortion.

The containersfor' the artic es to be displayed by the device are supported by these rods and hang downwardly from them and should have materially greater length longitudinally of the rods than width transversely of the rods and should have such supports above the bottom on the sides as will hold the magazines and post cards or similar articles in approximately upright position so as to be properly viewed by customers, and to this end the sides should be so formed. as to permit an adequate view of thearticles from the side, in front or from the rear of the machine. This requires retaining means across these sides composed of narrow spaced elements so as to be practically open so far as a view of the contents is concerned.

The preferred form of container for the magazines, post cards, or other articles of merchandise to be exhibited is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. It includes the closed end walls 20 which may be thin and which are preferably narrow and have considerable length with parallel sides and they are provided at their upper ends 'with'pivoted openings 21 which are in alignment. The bottom of the container. is closed by the bottom wall 22 and there are narrow u wardly extending flanges 23 secured to t e edges of the end'walls at their lower ends.

Above these flanges there are shown two parallel bars 24 and 25 spaced apart and.

pass through the openings 21 and thus ivotally support the CMIIBIB' which hang downwardly om those rods with the open top pocket-like chamber in vertical position.

The containers being arranged on opposite sides of the wheel 18alinged in pairs, they balance each other so far as any longitudinal twisting action on the wheel is concerned.

A friction brake 26 is preferably mounted on the upright su port 11 at its upper end engaging the on of theshaft 16 and it may be operated by the hand lever 27 to retard or stop the rotary movement of the shaft in any desired position. The shaft and the wheel car ing the containers may be rotated by ban or any suitable means. In the form shown there is a motor 28 of known form driving a belt 29 throu h pulley 30, which belt in turn engages pu ey 31 secured to shaft 16 and thus rotary motion is im arted to the carrier.

- series of electric light bulbs may be cured to the rim 18 at suitable intervals around the circumference so as to properly illuminate the articles displayed in the carriers, and since in the arrangement shown they are midway between the. sets of containers for the articles a single bulb will properly illuminate two aligned containers. The complete circular rim used in the preferred form of the invention shown not only has the necessary strength to adequately support the two sets of containers as shown but has the advantage that it imposes no obstruction to fullvlew of the containers and their contents, and since the containers eluding a carrier hold the magazines, post cards and similar articles in u right position, the customen is given the t possible view of the articles on display. I

' The continuous circular "rim construction of the carrier makes it strong and enables it to satisfactorily carry a greater load than would otherwise be possible and makes it last longer. Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for purgpses of illustration inw ich is rigidly connected to a rotary'shaft as distinguished from one rotatively mounted on a fixed shaft and which includes asingle central wheel and a specific form of container it will be understood that the invention is not limited to that specific form beyond what is indicated in the following claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device of the class described enace comprising in combination, a stand ha spaced u right supporting members, a honzontal s aft carried by said members at their u per ends, a rotary carrier in the form 0 shaft midway between said supporting members and having a solid rim portion, a series of horizontal parallel rods equally spaced from each other circumferentially carried by said rim and rojecting therefrom on both sides for equal distances less than that between the wheel and its su porting members and a display container below and ivotally s'upportcd'by each projecting on of each rod of the series.

.2. A display device of the class described comprising in combination, a stand havi spaced upright supporting members, a horizontal shaft carried by said members at their upper ends, a rotary carrier in the form of a single wheel mounted on said shaft midway between said supporting mom.-

a single wheel mounted on said V bers and having a solid rim portion, a series rods and having an open top, closed ends and bottom, narrow flanges at the lower end of the sides and narrow rectangular bars above said flanges.

3. A display device of the class described comprising in combination, a stand havin spaced u right supporting members, a horizontal s aft carried by said members at their upper ends, a rotary carrier in the form of a single wheel mounted on said shaft midway between said supporting members and having a solid rim portion, a series of horizontal parallel rods equally spaced from each other circumferentially carried by said rim and projecting therefrom on both sides for equa distances less than that between the wheel and its su porting members and a display container below and iv- -otally supported by each projecting on of each rod of the series and a series of incandescent electric lamps mounted on said rim. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

THOMAS HOLLOWAY (JOKER. 

